The Best and Worst of the SEC

I always enjoy these types of articles this time of year mainly because it gives us something to talk about until kick-off in August. My list I hope will be a little unique and cause a little stir among you SEC fans. Anyway, here is my list of best and worst in the SEC.

Best Place to watch a game:

Tiger Stadium

I’ve always heard this place is rocking during the season and from the looks of it, it sure looks like it’s the place to be on a Saturday in the fall. The food and the atmosphere can’t be beat so they say.

My choice would be Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium in Oxford home of the Ole Miss Rebels. Why you may ask? The atmosphere is more family oriented and little less rowdy and who wouldn’t want to take a scroll around the Grove with their friends and family afterwards? Sounds to me like the perfect end to a Saturday afternoon.

Best Rivalry:

Alabama and Auburn

This has always been the most heated and hated among the rivalries, but it really and truly didn’t get going until the 1980’s when Pat Dye came along and built up this Auburn program to the point that it had become the program in the state of Alabama. That’s until Gene Stallings came along in the 1990’s. He turned Bama back into a national powerhouse again, but probation and coaching changes on both sides of the state have weaken this once proud rivalry and made the schools uneven again for the time being.

My choice for best rivalry is Florida and Tennessee. Yes, I know the Gators have dominated the last few years, but the off the field drama between Lane Kiffin and Urban Meyer is stirring up some major league hate not only between the two coaches, but fans as well. Let’s just hope that the drama will continue on the field this year.

Worst fans:

LSU

Sorry Tiger fans, but your rowdiness has become legendary among other SEC faithful. When it comes to worst fans, there is always a story involving an LSU fan and a fan of another school and the story usually ends with the LSU fan throwing a bottle at the fan of another school.

My choice for worse fans is still LSU. It does not help your reputation that you burn in effigy last year the coach who helped build your program into the national powerhouse that it is today.

Worst Rivalry:

Ole Miss and Mississippi State

This is a bad rivalry only because most of the time when they play each other, both of the teams stink. That has started to change somewhat over the years with one of the schools being better then the other one. Last year it was Ole Miss that had the banner year, the year before that it was State. Maybe both teams will be good someday at the same time and we’ll have better games.

My other choice for worst rivalry is the overrated Florida/Georgia game. This game gets so hyped every year and every year it has been a disappointment. Is it me or do these games always seem to produce a blow out?

Best Coach:

Urban Meyer

You can’t argue with Meyer’s success in Gainesville. He has won two national championships and produced a Heisman Trophy winner down there. He is probably in my book the first or second best coach in the country.

But my choice is Nick Saban. Ok before you start booing and saying this is just another Alabama fan kissing Saint Nick’s behind, let me explain why I think Saban is better. Saban has produced some of the best recruiting classes in the country not only in Tuscaloosa, but Baton Rouge as well.

Let’s be truthful about it, when he left LSU for Miami he didn’t exactly leave the cabinet bare. Les Miles was able to take the same players that Saban recruited and win another national championship, so technically you can argue that Saban won two national championships himself. Not to mention that the fact that he has NEVER had a losing record in college football and if I’m not mistaken has had the most number one draft choices in the NFL of any coach in the SEC including Meyer.

So, maybe one coach might have a slight edge over the other, but not by much.

Fans will argue whether or not they agree or disagree with this list, but hey isn’t that what these list are about?